The only thing more thrilling than writing about kick-ass action characters is getting a chance to meet them in real life.

During a recent tour of the LAPD Police Academy I had a chance to not only interview some of LA’s finest, but actually participate in some of their more exciting training activities. The tour–which was organized by Romance Writers of America’s mystery and suspense writers’ group–including back-to-back activities at the LAPD Police Academy in Elysian Park (remember the opening from Charlie’s Angels?) and the Davis training facility in the San Fernando Valley. Besides meeting some of LA’s most highly trained cops, we also took part in hands-on demonstrations and a terror-inducing ride at the driving track.

It was a day I’ll never forget and I thought you might enjoy the pictures.

As an animal lover, I got a special kick out of meeting several officers in LAPD’s mounted patrol unit, plus their furry sidekicks. I was surprised to learn that LAPD has so many horses on staff, but evidently these guys (all geldings, it turns out) are great for crowd control at large outdoor events. They also happen to be a favorite among foreign tourists at Venice Beach.

Sage and her handler.

We also met some members of the canine unit, including Sage, a bloodhound that is used to track bad guys who have fled crime scenes.

After finishing up with the four-legged cops, I was honored to meet the only female member of LAPD’s elite SWAT team. This officer told us about the rigors of SWAT training and showed us the armored vehicle they use, along with some of their weapons. I was tremendously impressed by this pioneering woman. Lead-lined clothes are not for the feint of heart.

The thrills continued in the afternoon at the Davis facility, where I got to see a firearms demonstration and check out the EVOC, or Emergency Vehicle Operations Course. I piled into a car with fellow suspense writers Brenda Novak and A.J. Brower, plus a highly trained driving instructor. We strapped ourselves in for a white-knuckled ride around the twists and turns of the driving course. When my heart finally started beating again, they ushered us into an indoor facility to show us the new simulators where officers practice high-speed chases in urban environments.

We capped off our tour in the room where they teach officers how to use “less lethals,” such as Tasers and batons. Brenda Novak and I eagerly volunteered to participate in a “shoot or no-shoot” exercise and were given mock pistols. Despite putting on our best game faces, we were promptly gunned down by bank robbers before we even managed to draw our weapons. A dramatic end to a dramatic day.

On Tuesday, I spent the day with several SWAT teams as they went through medic training with the FBI.

🙂

SWAT–Special Weapons and Tactics- operatives specialize in hostage situations, high-risk warrant service operations, search-and-rescue operations, covert and undercover tactical operations and crowd control. Team members must complete advanced training and, while it is different from department to department, it’s rigorous and they must re-qualify continually. In the FBI, SWAT members must qualify monthly at the gun range, for example. But it’s not only firearms training–the physical training is just as demanding.

SWAT teams know how to be cops–they can take out the bad guys and secure a scene–but what about the victims? Until the paramedics arrive, SWAT is in charge–after they neutralize the danger, they need to assess injuries, give first aid, and maintain control. The victims are their patients. These guys already have experience with advanced first aid. Many are former military, and all have extensive experience–as Toni can explain better than I, to make a SWAT team requires not only a wide-range of abilities, but being the BEST at it. You can’t just make the SWAT team and coast–you are constantly tested and need to re-qualify every month.

This was the third role playing day I’ve done with the FBI, and the second that focused on triage. There were six stations the teams rotated through, including a hostage situation, a domestic situation, traffic stop gone bad, and an active shooter in a school environment. However, this time trauma surgeons and paramedics volunteered their time and expertise–at their own expense–traveling from as far as Virginia and San Diego because they are so passionate about their job and believe fully in these types of training programs.

The training sessions, which are put on by the FBI and offered to local law enforcement throughout the area, are multi-day events. On Monday, the SWAT teams–some which traveled over 150 miles to participate–took classes from the medical personnel. And on Tuesday, they put what they learned to the test.

They all know it’s not real, but a team of UC Davis trauma nurses came out to make it as real as possible, with “moulage.” Moulage is the art of applying mock injuries in training ERT’s and other medical or military personnel. Moulage is applying pre-made rubber or latex “wounds” and often uses makeup for realism (such as blood, open fractures, gunshot wounds, etc.)

The injuries could be minor:

Skinned Knees

Or life-threatening:

Stabbing

Heather above had a deep stab wound in her thigh. The medic set her up with an IV of blood attached to the rubber wound so that she could make it bleed when the SWAT team arrived. It was kind of cool 🙂 Her wound was used to teach a technique about packing with a tourniquet would be difficult or impossible to place–packing gauze deep into a gaping wound to cover as much surface area as possible to help with the clotting process.

Some of the wounds looked incredibly realistic. Such as Tom’s blunt force trauma:

Hamming it up

or this re-barb injury:

or Stan’s gunshot wound:

or my own “injury” — a protruding bone that I got from running and falling down the stairs when the shooting started.

In my scenario, there were two shooters in a school or workplace situation. SWAT came in, neutralized the suspects quickly, then tended to the victims while waiting for the helicopter and EMTs to arrive. The purpose is to, essentially, secure the scene and triage the victims–assess their injuries, perform emergency first aid (i.e. applying tourniquets, giving CPR, etc.) and prioritize for transport. Easy? Not really. As role players, we acted like victims. Once we were on–and there was simulated gun fire using paint pellets with a primer so it sounds close to a real gun–your heart races. The SWAT team comes through–and each team does it differently–to secure the site and take out the shooters. In a real situation, they’d have people running at them, or reaching for them to help, or calling over to them. There are screams and cries and they don’t know who the shooter is, often where he is, if there is a partner, how many–they have to go in assuming that everyone is a suspect. We’re not supposed to make it easy for them, because in the real world they’re going to encounter a wide variety of victims. Screaming. Hysterical. Crying. Helpful. Calm. Shock.

They need to ignore the victims while they take care of the shooters, secure the building, then tend to the victims. One thing the paramedic in my scenario suggested (and praised) was bring the victims together to share limited supplies, keep them in sight, and make them easier to treat and transport. Another point driven home: SWAT was in charge of the victims, not just the crime scene, until medical help arrived. They needed to treat us victims, talk to us, calm us down. Some of the teams were better than the others at small talk. Others were straight business.

For my part, I had a non-life threatening but extremely painful broken leg with a protruding bone. And it was bleeding pretty darn good as well. I screamed when the gunfire started, then cried, sobbing, and depending on my mood during that drill, I would either beg for someone to help me or demand to know what happened to my friend Heather (the stabbing victim.) Kathy was part of the “walking wounded” — scrapped knees and a gunshot to the arm. She was great that when she saw the SWAT guys she’d stagger over to them. I could totally see that happening in real life. (I mean, if there WAS a shooter, I would definitely want to be as close to the cops as possible! Or I’d hide. 🙂 )

We’re supposed to stay in role until the instructor calls for the team to come together. One SWAT team–which was tactically the most aggressive–quickly assessed everyone, applied the tourniquet to my leg, and then left me (as well as the other victims.) I couldn’t see what they were doing, but if I were being left without comment, I would probably want to know what the heck they were doing leaving me alone with a dead body as company. So they walk off and I called out, “Wait! Don’t leave me! I want to go home! Where are you? Please come back!” The head paramedic liked my improv 🙂

Near the end, the “helicopter” arrives and the SWAT leader is required to give a rundown of victims and injuries quickly and accurately. Then, the medic asks, “I have room for three. Who goes now?” And they need to know. If they don’t, the medic loses confidence that they’ve done the proper triage.

One of my favorite parts of the role playing drills is when the instructor walks through the scene and assesses the teams strengths and identifies areas of improvement. I say it that way because none of these SWAT teams were weak. This is where I learn the most–the little details that help me understand my characters and what they may face–both as a victim and as a hero. The facts and stats are always good to know, but it’s the reasoning behind decisions, the human factor of being a cop or a victim, that makes my books real to me, and I hope to my readers.

I talked to some of the guys afterward. Because everyone knows this isn’t real, I wanted to get their impression of the effectiveness of these types of drills. Of the three cops I spoke with, they were all enthusiastic about the program. One guy said that even though they know it’s not real, as soon as they’re geared up begin, the adrenaline starts pumping. Having role players with realistic injuries and playing a part makes it more real, and helps them focus on the situation. Everyone had praise for the medical experts who came out–on their own dime–to run the SWAT/medic training program. Some had never been in a program like this; others had participated before.

And all of them–from the SWAT operatives to the trauma surgeons to the paramedics to the FBI instructors who ran the program and assisted in the drills–are truly the everyday heroes I like to write about.

I can’t wait to do another drill. This was my third role-playing scenario. I’ve also toured Quantico (and plan to go back later this year), toured the morgue and observed an autopsy, and toured Folsom prison (and was warned that they don’t negotiate–so please don’t be taken hostage.) And more–I have been both lucky and blessed to be able to do a lot of these research “trips”–because while I love reading and learning from books, there’s nothing like going on-scene. I haven’t done a ride-along yet, but it’s high up on my list.

One of the other drills was a barroom hostage situation–the suspect stabbed his girlfriend and had a gun on her. He shoots at the cops when they come in, then is gunned down. So the scenario is designed to deal with both an officer down and life-threatening injuries to a hostage. Here’s a shot from the catwalk of that scenario:

And here is me with Joe Getty, from the morning radio program Armstrong and Getty. I did another scenario with Joe–when he was a bad guy and I was the wife of a wanted sex offender. On that day, we were both handcuffed and decided that being cuffed wasn’t fun!

Joe Getty & Me

My question for you all whether or not you’re a writer, what’s the one “research trip” you’d be excited about? Role playing with SWAT? A ride-along with local cops? Firefighters? A tour of the morgue? A prison? A military base? What about flying a plane with a fighter pilot, learning to parachute, or touring the underground tunnels in Sacramento? Shadowing a judge? A prosecutor? It can be anything, just something you’ve always wanted to learn about outside of your normal profession or hobbies. Comment for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the online bookstore of your choice!

On a more personal note, thank you to everyone who helped put KISS ME, KILL ME on the NYT list (#16) and the USAT list (#32)! I’m now deep into writing IF I SHOULD DIE, which is scheduled to be released on 11.22.11. And I’m giving you all a sneak peak at the new cover . . . which looks so good with the first two Lucy books.

One of the things we talk about here is reaching for our dreams, and how to push ourselves toward our goals–how hard that is sometimes, and on occasion, we’ll even mention the really crappy first drafts, how terrified we are that we’ve turned in a book that’s going to need some serious editing, and the mistakes we’ve made.

The thing is, I think there’s this sort of underlying feeling that once someone has a publishing contract, they’ve reached a point where the fear somehow lessens. That there’s this point of arrival, of success, of finally entering the so-called “club” and I am sitting here, remembering how I thought exactly that same thing. And you know what came as the greatest comfort to me, once I was on the other side of that publishing line? That nearly everyone on that other side was just as terrified as I was. All of a sudden, I found myself subject to people with Expectations, Dear, And You’d Better Deliver. You go from the fear that you’ll never make it to the fear that you’ll screw it all up. There never really seems to be a middle ground of ahhhhhhhhh, relaxed. At least, I never saw that place, and believe me, I looked. And just about everyone I’ve met in this business, many many fabulous writers with awards and accolades and NYT bestselling status… all felt that same thing: fear.

It took me a while to realize that the fear was a good thing.

Because the fear means that you have goals, and they’re not static. It means you’re not in a rut. If you don’t have anything to lose, you’re not afraid. And if you don’t have anything to lose, then you’re coasting, and you’re not pushing yourself to be the best person–fireman–police officer–contractor–dancer–singer–writer–mother–father–chicken wrestler… whatever, that you can be. You have to want something, and you have to want more than what you have right now, in this moment, so that you keep striving for excellence. And you have to want it so much, that to not get it strikes fear into your soul. It takes that kind of fear, that kind of self-awareness, to push yourself through the chores that it takes to become great at something. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to settle for merely adequate. I want to be amazing. I may never get there, and that’s okay. I’m going to keep pushing, trying for it.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the wonderful pleasure of being up in Denver, speaking to the Heart of Denver Writers, and one of the best pleasures was that our oldest son, Luke, was able to drive over from his home to visit. He’s a police officer, and a sniper on the SOU team (their name for a SWAT team), and I think I’ve mentioned my kids here a time or twenty-thousand. I’ll tell you something that you don’t really grasp when the kids are little… is how much you’re going to learn from them as they grow. I think I learned much more from them than they did from me, and I’m still learning. I’m in awe.

I'm not sure if this is the exact type of logbook Luke uses, but it's similar. I, uh, think.

I was staying with the wonderful Margie Lawson and her sweet husband, Tom. It amazed me to watch Luke explain what he does and how he practices for his job as they peppered him with questions. The precision that is necessary for a sniper isn’t something that just happens. It’s a constant, systematic practice. A honing of skills. He pulled out his logbook and showed us a sample of the kind of notes he takes every single time he fired a shot through his official sniper weapon. He’ll make notes about things like the type of bullet, the angle of the shot, the distance, the direction and speed of the wind, and any other pertinent conditions. Can you imagine the kind of dedication it takes to record all of the details of every single shot? But it’s something he needs to record in order to know exactly what that gun will do in every possible condition, because one day, someone’s life might be on the line, and he might be the only guy who can save them. He wants to know that he can do that, if the time comes. He strives for excellence and I was in awe. I know all of the guys on that team work extremely hard to be the very best they can be.

And I know that he, like every good cop out there, has a sense of fear of not being ready. They don’t let themselves get complacent and lazy about their practices. Laziness can get you killed. He has to find a balance between extreme confidence that he can do the job–and an awareness of what’s at stake if he isn’t ready. A balance between faith and fear.

In my work, laziness won’t get me killed personally, but it can kill a career. I don’t believe in “good enough.” I believe in “as good as I can possibly make it.” That’s the only kind of effort that matters. That doesn’t mean that I’ll always reach every goal. Even the best fall down sometimes. I have to have utter belief in my voice, in my ability to tell a story, so that I bring life to that story, with a confidence that infuses the reader with pleasure, a feeling that they’ll get as they read that they’re in good hands. But I also have to keep the fear close, and use it, to push myself, to look at the small things and go back, relentlessly, and find ways to improve.

And like anyone in a field of endeavor, there’s a point where you have to let the work stand for itself. You’ll keep improving, and the next work will be even better. But eventually, you have to let go.

I also have gotten to the point where I can recognize how much luck plays into any plan. The only thing I can do is the best possible work I’m capable of doing, but I can’t guarantee that the right editor will see it on the right day when they happen to have the budget to buy it. My work might hit their desk the day after they just spent their budget at auction on another book, and that’s just the luck of the draw. But I do know that if luck should land my direction, I want what hits their desk to be excellent.

So I keep the fear as my ally.

I don’t let it stop me, or freeze me in place–though it’s easy to do. I use it as a necessary evil, as a tool to keep me on my toes, to push myself to the next level. And then the next. And the next. I love the journey of it, see… I love the pushing, the striving, the little moments of victory along the way when I write a scene that I know will make someone laugh or something else that I know will break someone’s heart.

I may fall down, and I may fail, but that’s okay. I’m going to get up, and I’m going to learn from it, and I will grow and be better the next time.

So tell me a goal–doesn’t have to be writing related–that you want to strive for, and tell me the next step you’re going to do to move toward that goal. It can be “learn to bake a cake” and the step is “find a great recipe.” Whatever it is, let me know and everyone who enters will be eligible for a $50 gift certificate from Target or Amazon to spend toward your goal.

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Bio:

Allison Brennan

Allison Brennan is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly three dozen romantic thrillers and mysteries, including the Lucy Kincaid series and the Max Revere series. She lives in Northern California with her husband, five children, and assorted pets.